Sliding hinged last



IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII APPUCATI N [US .17, 1921. 1,407,723 Patented Feb28,1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. BREEN, OF HINGHAIVT CENTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SLIDING HINGED LAST.

vMy invention relates to hinged lasts for boots and shoes and. more especially to a last in which the heel part is adapted to have a sliding movement with respect to the fore part when being removed from the shoe.

The main object of my invention is the provision of a hinged last for boots and shoes so constructed that after the boot or shoe has been finished, thelast may be removed therefrom without diliiculty and without stretching or injuring the boot or shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinged last so constructed that the parts will not separate or turn on the hinge when the sole of the last is subjected to strain during the shoe manufacturing processes. 1 V

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hinged last simple and efricient and of low cost of construction.

Other objects of the invention will be more fully set forth and described hereinafter.

My invention contemplates a last which the heel part is connected to the fore part by top plan view of a last constructed and adapted to be operated in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical sectional view on line 22 in Fig. 1, showing the last in normal position, and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the heel part raised in relation to the fore part preparatory to removing the last from the shoe, the position of theheel part after it has been moved pivotally on the hinges being shown in dotted outline.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention is shown a last I comprising a fore part 5, a heel part 6 and a Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d F b 2 1 2 Application filed March 17. 1921.

Serial No. 453,093.

loclnng block 7. These parts are formed by taking the last, after it has been turned, and cutting it transversely on the line 8. which is curved longitudinally the last in order to separate the portion 7 which serves as a looking block. The remaining portion of the last is then out transversely on the line 9.

this out extending from the bottom of the last at the shank portion upwardly slanting toward the fore part, thereby resultingin the fore part 5 and the heel part 6 respectively.

The fore and heel parts are then hinged together in the following manner. ;The removal of the locking block 7 leaves a curved face 10 on the heel part and a curved face ll, which is a continuation of the face 10, 011 the fore part. Two narrow longitudinal and fairly deep recesses 12 arethen cut in the faces 10 and 11 and within these recesses are set two hinges by which the fore part and the heel part are hinged together. T he'construction of these hinges constitutes an important feature of my invention because they are intended to permit of both sliding and pivotal movements of the heel part in relation to the fore part.

Although the hinges may be made in any suitablefmanner which will permit of the said two movements, I prefer to construct them as shown in the drawings, each-hinge being made up of two leaves 16 and 18. The leaf 16 is provided with a longitudinal :slot 20 which is preferably wider at the. toe end of the'last than at the other end, and the leaf 18 is slightly curved 'on its longitudinal axis and is split nearly its entire length to form a recess 22. The'recessed end of the leaf 18' carries a pin'24-, which pin lies within the slot20 of the leaf 16 when the two are assembled, the leaf .16 being, sufli ciently thin to move freely within therecess 22 in theleaf 18. The hinge is secured in position on the fore-andheel partsof ranged in the toe end of the leaf 16and a pin 28 in the heel end of the leaf l8,these pins passing through the last for the purpose of holding the hinges in place 1n the parts.

Any suitable means may be provided for holding the locking block in place upon the last when the latter is placed within the shoe and for this purpose I provide a. pm 30 set fixedly in the face 11 of the fore part 5 and turned toward the heel part, and a pin 32'set in a recess 34 in the face tracted withinthe-recess 34 when the lock ing block 7 is being adjusted in position. The locking block 7 is provided with a curved hole 40 adapted to receivethe curved pin 30 and with a hole 42 to receive the pin 32. It will also be found necessary to provide the inner face of the locking block with recesses l i, since the hinges project above the curved faces 10 and 11 of the heel and fore parts of the last.

In use, my last is assembled as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, with the locking block 7 held against displacement by the two pins 30 and 32 and the locking block in turnholds the fore part 5 and heel part '6 against separation at the joint 9 when the sole of the last is subjected to strain or pressure during the making of the shoe. After the shoe is completed, the pin 32 may be pressed down with a suitable tool inserted in the hole 54 and the'locking block thereby released so that it may be removed from. the shoe. The heel part 6 may then, with the assistance of a suitable tool inserted in the hole 50, be pulledupwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3 of the draw ings. During this movement the leaf 16 is turned a short distance upon'the pin 26 as a pivot, the leaf 18 moving very slightly, if any, on its pivot, because the slot 20 at the heel end is slightly larger than the pin 24 and permits of a slight movement of the pin 24 upwardly in the slot 20 when the leaf 18 is carried upwardly by the movement of the heel part. During-this entire movement the heel part remains in sliding engagement with the fore part on the joint 9 and when the heel part has reached the position shown in Fig. 3 it will be observed that the total length of the last has become shortened. The shorteningo1 the last accomplished in this way disengages the curved face of the heel part from the heel of the shoe so that from. the position shown in Fig. 3 the heelpart 6 may be pivotally turned on the hinges and removed from the heel of the shoe without strain and without stretching or disturbing the curved shape of the heel of the shoe. After the heel; part 7 has been raised into the position shown in dotted outline in Fig; 3, the last may then be entirely removed from the shoe. r f

It will be observed that the foregoing result is secured by making the joint or cut 9 in the last slope toward the fore part of the last and the shortening of the last during this operation may be regulated to some ex tent byvarying the slant of said cut-from a vertical line. i

Although I have shown and described 7 my'lnventlon as being emb'odied in a last employing two hinges, it is to be understood that one hinge may be used. in place of two hinges if desired. hen .but one hinge is used. the slot 12 should beef such restricted width that the hinge tits tightly therein to prevent any lateral motion either of the hinge or the parts of the last inrelation to each other. i

Itis further to be understood that I do not desire to limit myself to the precise form of hingeherein shown and described, since my invention ma be embodied in other forms of hinges in which the hinge parts have a relative movement at the point of their pivoted connection;

lVhat I claim is: p i

1. In a hinged last, the combination of a fore part and a heel part connected together by a hinge made up of two leaves, eachof said leaves being pivotally connected to one of said parts and said two leaves being pivotally connected together yet capable of a telescopic movementof the pivot point.

In a hinged last, the combination of a fore part and a heel part connected together by a hinge made up of twoleaves, each of said leaves being pivotally connected to one of said parts and said two leaves being pivotally connected together; one of said leaves being provided with a slot at the dinal open recess adapted to receive the other leaf and the other of said leaves being provided with a slot to receive the p'ivotpin whereby the two. leaves are permitted to have a relative movement at thepivot point.

4. A hinged ]ast comprising a fore part and. a heel partconnected together by a hinge. said hinge being made upof two leaves each" pivotally connected to oneof said parts and being pivotally connectedtogether by a pin, one of'saidleaves being I provided with a longitudinal-slot;within which. said pin moves" in ordei' to' permit said leaves to'ha-vea sliding movementlwith relation to each otherat the pivotpoint. 5. A hinged last comprising a' fore part,

aheel part and a hinge connecting said two parts and made up of two leaves, each of which is pivotally connected to one of said parts, the two leaves of said hinge being so connected to each other as to permit each of 7 said last parts to have both a sliding a nd a pivotal movementin relation to theother last part. i

6. A hinged last comprising a fore part,

a heel part and a hinge connectingsaid-two' parts; said hinge comprising twowleaves,

each of said leaves being pivotally conleaves to have a telescopic movement at the neoted to one of said parts and said two pivot point thereby permit-ting each last part leaves being pivotally connected together; to have both sliding and pivotal movements 10 one of said leaves being split longitudinally in relation to the other last parts.

at its pivoted end to receive the other leaf In witness whereof, I hereunto set my and one of said leaves being provided with hand this sixteenth day of March, 1921.

a slot at the pivot point to permit said two JOHN F. BREEN. 

